One arm can opener



April 20, 1954 w. E. MOORE ONE ARM CAN OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 19, 1952 April 20, 1954 w. E. MOORE 2,675,611

oNE ARM CAN OPENER Filed May 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /A/ Y E N To R: WHLTER E. MOORE 18 is a top plan View of an actuator; 19 is a perspective view of a link element;

Fig. 20 is a face View of a cam; and

Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a paWl-shaped dog element.

With particular reference now to Figs. 1 and 2, numeral 3U indicates, as a whole, a can opener constructed in accordance with the teachings of the instant invention. Generally, the can opener includes; a main frame or base plate 32; suitable supporting means 34 rigid with one end thereof, for mounting the opener on a conventional Wall bracket, not shown; a feed Wheel assembly 38; a can top piercing and severing mechanism 38; a shiftable carrier or supporting member 40 for the latter mechanism; a crank arm assembly l2 for rotating the feed Wheel and also for shifting said mechanism 38 and member 68; a cooperating spring biased dog and cam mecha- Fig. Fig.

nism d@ incorporated in said crank assembly 82; n

a device 48 for stabilizing the can during a severing operation; and other embodied elements described more particularly hereinafter.

As seen to best advantage in Figs. 16 and 17, the base plate 32 is of elongated form, and has apertures 48 adjacent one end thereof for the reception of rivets 9 or the like, whereby the supporting bracket 3B is secured thereto. Adjacent the other end, the plate 32 has formed therein a laterally pressed circular boss portion 58 having therein an irregular opening 52. The latter includes a first semi-circular section 54, and a pair of similar sections 5B and 59 joined by an arcuate section 68, as shown.

The plate 32 has also formed therein a laterally pressed substantially oval boss portion 52 provided with an elongated angularly disposed slot 54. An integral bearing support sleeve 8G is formed in the plate, and a horizontally disposed can engaging integral flange 88 projects from the lower marginal edge of said plate 32.

The assembly 38 includes a flat faced feed Wheel "E8, having a serrated peripheral edge l2, and rigidly attached to one end of a rotary shaft 'i8 which is supported in the bearing support sleeve 68 of the plate 32; and a pinion 16 also rigid with said shaft 14, as clearly shown in Figs. '7 and 8.

The can top piercing and severing mechanism 38 is rotatably angularly mounted on the carrier f 48, the conguration of which is illustrated particularly in Figs. 14 and 15. The carrier 89 comprises a generally fiat body portion 78, provided approximately centrally thereof with an oval shaped bulge portion 89, and has a horizontal can brim engaging flange 82 projecting therefrom, as shown. Openings 84 and 85 are provided in the body portion T8, and an opening 88 in the bulge portion 88.

With particular reference again to Figs. '7 and 8, the mechanism 38 includes a rotatable cutter disc 90 secured to one end of an inclined stud 92 by means of a nut 9d, or otherwise. The stud 92 is headed as shown, is supported in the bulge opening 88, and rotatably supports a pinion 95 which is maintained in firm engagement with a flange 93 of the cutter disc, by means of a compression spring |80 interposed about said stud between the bulge 89 and said pinion 98. The carrier 48 is pivotally mounted at one end on a rivet |82 which extends through the slot 84, and which also serves as a pivot for one end of an actuated plate |912 shown in Fig. 18.

With reference particularly also to Figs. 2 and 5, the actuated plate-|013 includes a flat body portion |86 having a boss surrounded circular opening |88 adjacent one end, and a similar square opening ||9 adjacent its other end. The aforesaid rivet |92 passes through opening |88, and the square opening H8 is adapted to receive a stud for supporting the device s6, as Will appear. The body portion |08 of the actuator is recessed at I l2, and carries a rigid horizontally projecting pin H4.

The crank assembly 42 comprises a crank including a cup-shaped upper end I8, and an arm |29 integral therewith. A knob |22 is mounted by means of a rivet |24 on the free extremity of said arm 29, and said upper end i8 includes an annular peripheral flange |25, .and a centrally located irregularly contoured boss |28, the configuration of which appears especially in Fig. 13. It is noted that boss |28 is centrally bored at |29 to receive a bushing |39 through which the shaft '14 extends, a light compression spring |3| being interposed about a portion of said shaft Ibetween the end of said bushing |38, and the bottom of the bore |29. The end portion |32 of the shaft is knurled and peened over as shown in Figs. '7 and 8, so that, as should be manifest, shaft 14 and crank i |8 always rotate in unison.

Integrally formed on the boss |28 is a pair of cylindrical projections or lugs |341, each adapted to enter one of the pair of circular openings |36 provided in a cam plate |38 which is included in the mechanism 48 (Fig. 20). A third cylindrical projection or lug |019 is also integral with boss |28, and is adapted to enter a third circular opening |42 in cam plate |38. It is noted that the face of boss |28 in the region about lug |40 is undercut or recessed at |84 for a reason to appear. A notch or socket M8 is also provided in boss |28 for the reception of a block of neoprene |48, one end of which projects into the recess |48, as best seen in Fig. 13.

The cam plate |38 referred to above is of the configuration illustrated in Fig. 20, Where it is seen that its peripheral diameter gradually increases clockwise from an arcuate recess |58 in the plate, to the apex of a lobe |52 which partially defines said recess. The cam plate |38 also has an opening |55 therein of a size to accommodate the bushing |38 about which the plate |38 is eccentrically positioned, as the drawings shovv.

The mechanism Ml also includes a paWl-shaped dog member |56, the configuration of which is clearly shown in Fig. 2l. The dog |56 has an opening |58 therein, and includes a tail piece |59, converging arcuate edges |88 and |82, and is provided with an` aperture |64. Said vdog is pivotally mounted via opening |53 on lug |49, between the face of recess |44 jand the cam plate |38, Its arcuate edge |62 is normally biased outwardly into engagement with annular flange |26 of the crank i2 by means of a spiral spring |88 which encircles and is anchored at one end to the lug |158, and has its other end |68 anchored in aperture |68. A cir-cular depression Il!! in boss |28 about the lug |463 accommodates the spiral portion of spring |68.

With particular reference to Fig. l2, the device 8 is seen to be mounted on the projecting stem |12 of a headed stud |'|,which also includes a squared section |15 fitting within the correspondingly contoured opening lli! of the actuator |94. Stem |12 also extends through a circular opening |18 of an oscillatory link |80 which, as shown in Fig. 19, has an -shaped peripheral outline. The lower half segment |82 of accenni link 'contains 'the vsepening die. 'The upper half segment m84 is nonpeitorate, landinas a snng titwithin ithesemiicircularsection 54 ofthe :irregular opening 52 inthe base .plate 32. .In addition to stem |72, the device 46 includes a can stabilizing plate |36 which is mounted :on said stem, between the ycarrier lll .anda cup-shaped compression spring retainer |88.

el. :relatively .heavy rcompression fspring |390 is interposed .aboutstem sl l2 .between :the stabilizing lplate .-l85 and Aretainer |38, and the latter maintained in place by `means .of .a frz-washer .1.9.2 which engages a reduced neck .|94 provided `en said :stem as .clearly illustrated. As Figs. l, l and 6 demonstrate., plate .|:86 has .an .integral abutment edge .|95 -which .is adapted to .engage the brim :of Y.the can in .the operative position .of the piercing .and severing mechanism.

AOperation The inoperative position of Athe present .opener is illustrated `in Figs. l, .Zand .7 Insuchposition, the piercing and severing mechanism .38 is in .raised position, .and thesupporting carrier for said mechanism is in what will .be termed its forward position. That is tosay, carrier 40 has been advanced orshiftecl .angularly upwardlyand outwardly away from support 3.4, by the final manipulation .of the crank .assembly 4.2 at .the .l

endfof lthe cycle, as will be described.

lt .is to .be .observed as detailed, with specific reference .to Figs. .3 .and 12, that the carrier 40 and the .actuated plate .|04 are connected by means .of the rivet '|112 and the stud Ile, so .that the two are shiftedin .unison along opposite sides of thebase plate 32. It isalso to .be observed that in this advanced position .of the .carrier-actutaed plate, the .transverse Yrivet |02 extends through 'inclined s'lot ,Bei at the uppermostlend .of the latter, and 'that V thelower half segment .|82 of link l|'80, mounted on stem |12 of the stud |14, is .in engagement with the semicircular section 58 of the irregular opening |52 in .the .base plate 32.

Assuming now that it is desired .to .sever the top T from a 'can 'generally designated C, said can is brought into iinal position, with .the :depending circumferential .edge of its bead .B resting on zthe serrated .edge 1.2 .of .the feed wheel, and its :body wall W in .contact'with the atface of :said wheel, .as illustrated inFig. 7. It is also seen that lthe ila-nge .58 of the base plate ..32 serves Ato facilitate .position-ing .of the can. At this time, the dog and .cam :mechanism $44 .arein the inactive, or .cycle completed stage portrayed by full .lines inlig. l1., with theactuator pin `.III-4 nestled in the recess |50 .of the -.cam plate i138, the dog |56 biased into contact with the ange |26 of the crank cup I8, and with the crank arm |20 hanging in a substantially perpendicular position.

With can C now in position, as in Fig. 7, crank 42 is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 1l. During the initial revolution of the crank arm |20, the ever increasing peripheral diameter of the cam plate |38 forces the pin ||4 from the Fig. 1l position thereof to the position it occupies in Fig. 9. In other words, at the end of the initial revolution of the crank arm, the cam lobe |52 has moved the pin ||4, and with it the actuated plate |04 and carrier 40 rearwardly and angularly downwardly, so that the cutter disc 90 has penetrated the can top T, as portrayed in Fig. 8.

For a clearer understanding of the disposition oit :the lparts at .such time, attention is .also diirected to Fig. 4There it .seen that .rivet .|02

disc has been facilitated, :as is understood.

shown in Figs. 5 and 8, the .recess 112 is .provided in .the actuated plate |05 in order to at all times clear the bearing .support sleeve''.

The movements and disposition of parts incidentito .the `compietion of the initial counterclockwise revolution of the l.crank arm |20 have inow been described. Rotation of said crank :arm |20 is continued in non-fstop -iashion .until .compiete severance of -top T :has been accomplished.

The resistance Yto severance of ythe can .metal by lthe cutter .disc :$0 effectively maintains :the earrierde and .the cutter rearwardly inoperative can severing' position. No .positive locking mechanism, such las is found in. llever type and :other .leizerless .can :opener-s, iis required. Thiscomprises an important .featurezcf the vpresu ent invention. Additionally, .the :release :moviement is .initiated prior .to .engagement :of the dog =|56 4'by the frictienal engagement .of -the cutter -disc 9.0, the -can C, .and the iced wheel T|0 fas .the .crankarrn il@ is :reversed from cutting rotation. The utilisation .of .these .forces Vre- @lucas Wear `on the parts, and aids .simplification.

Because .oi the biasing action of spring |56, the clog |255 would vsr-lap .ofi .of the Apin i4 `during eac-h .required lrevolution for .lid severance, .to thus lcreate an Aaudi-ble .click each .time the `.eirtremli-ty thereof would strik-e against annular tiange ll26,fexcept Ifor the block S45-of neoprene mounted in the recess ttt `of kthe boss |28. .As

appears in broken lines '9, the projecting end of said block -yiieldingly bears against the tail piece F59 of the fdog A2156, so that the biasing action of -spr-ingarm `|163 is retarded sumciently to eliminate cl-ilckingf as should be apparent.

Obviously, the number of `co1in-terciockvvise revolutions required to sever a lid is ldependant on :the dia-meter of the can C. Thus, for AeX- ample, .should fthe can be of a size `reduirir-ig about Esix -and :one smarter turns, the relative position of the crank and associated elements will be as illustrated in Fig. l0. 'Now the crank arm `|20 Sis turned clock-wise, with Athe arcuate edge |62 of the dog |55 sliding along the inner periphery of cup iange |2, until the arcuate edge |60 of said dog contacts the pin Ht, as shown in Fig. 1l by broken lines. During the next few degrees of rotation, said dog forces the pin I4 to ride over the cam lobe |52 and into the recess |50 of the cam plate |38. As a result, the connected carrier d0 and actuated plate |04, and the mechanism mounted thereon, return to the Fig. l position thereof, so that removal of the now open can completes a cycle of operation.

It is to be observed that, when actuator pin 4 has been brought into the position illustrated in Fig. 11, no further clockwise rotation of the crank |2 is possible, because rivet |02 will have reached the upper end of inclined slot 64, and simultaneously the lower segment |82 of link 7 180 will have been brought into engagement with section 58 of the irregular opening 52.

From the foregoing, it should be manifest that the invention provides a can opener incorporating novel mechanism for the attainment of its objectives and advantages. it is to be understood that the precise details of construction illustrated and described have been given by way of example, rather than in a limiting sense. Therefore, the invention contemplates any modiications, or substitutions of equivalent elements, that may be had without departing from the scope yof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A can opener including, in combination, a plate-like support, means secured to said support for mounting the same in a vertical plane, can top piercing and severing means mounted on said support for compound movement parallel thereto, a feed wheel mounted on said support for rotation in a plane parallel thereto, and a crank assembly for effecting both a compound movement of said can top piercing and severing means and rotation of said feed wheel, said compound movement being at least approximately tangential with respect to said feed 'wheel and in the direction of rotation thereof.

2. A can opener including, in combination, a plate-like support having spaced openings therein, a feed assembly mounted on said support, said feed assembly including a feed wheel mounted for rotation in a plane parallel to said platelike support and crank means for rotating said feed wheel, can top piercing and severing means mounted on said support for bodily movement in a plane parallel to said plate-like support, said latter means including a cutting member and a carrier therefor, said carrier including transversely extending elements respectively received in said spaced openings in the plate-like support for guided movement therein, and means movable with said crank means for engaging and bodily moving said carrier along its path of guided movement during the rst only of a series of revolutions of said crank means.

3. The 'combination of claim 2 wherein the carrier has a can engaging stabilizing device supported thereon for movement therewith.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the can engaging stabilizing device is yieldably mounted on the carrier.

5. The combination of claim 2 wherein at least one of the spaced openings in the plate-like support is a straight elongated slot restricting the transversely extending element received therein to movement in a straight line.

6. The combination of claim 2 wherein at least one of the spaced openings in the plate-like sup-f port is of lobate shape, a link disposed in saidi one spaced opening for oscillating movement. therein, and a pivotal connection between said link and said carrier.

7. In a can opener, the combination of a support, rotatable feed means mounted on the support, a cutting device, carrier means mounting the cutting device on the support for limited displacement relative thereto, said carrier means itself being bodily displaceable from a first position to a second position relative to the support, and actuating means mounted on the support and secured to said feed means for simultaneously rotating said feed means and bodily displacing said carrier means from said first position to said second position and for thereafter continuing to rotate said feed means without further displacement of said carrier means.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said actuating means includes means effective upon reversed rotation of said feed means to displace said carrier means from said second position to said first position.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the actuating means comprises cam means including yieldable dog means rotatable with said feed means, said cam means being adapted for driving engagement with the carrier means for displacement of the latter toward said second position, said dog means being adapted for driving engagement with the carrier means for displacement of the latter toward said first position.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the actuating means includes a cup-like portion having a peripheral wall for enclosing the cam means, the dog means being yieldably biased toward said peripheral wall, and a resilient cushion for retaining the dog means out of contact with said peripheral wall in the absence of driving engagement between the dog means and the carrier means.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

